Latch-keeper.



F. ZIGANEK. LATCH KEEPER.

APPLICATION- FILED DEC. 4, I915.

Patented Apr. 25,1916.

WU E amvzm ioz FERDINHND ZiGfiNEK iii ll Il' 1 PM.

FERDINAND ZIGANEK, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN. ASSIGNOR- TO DETROIT ROLLER LATCH (10., OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

LATCH-KEEPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

.atenldd Apr. 25, ions.

To 0% whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, Fmanxaxo ZIGANEK, a citizen of the Fniled States, residim at Detroit. in the county of \Yayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Latch-Keepers, of which the following is a spccifivation. reference being had to the accompanying drawmgs.

This invention relates to an improved latch keeper and has for its primary object to provide a simple. eti'ective and reliable device of this character primarily designed for use in connection with the latches of barn doors and similar structures. whereby the. door will be securely held in its closed position. but capable of being easily and quickly opened.

.It is another and more specific object of the invention to provide a latch keeper enibodying a lever mounted within a suitable housing. a roller carried by (inc end of said lever and projecting through one wall of the housing. a spring bearing against the other end of the lever normally holding the roller in such projected position for engagement by the latch element on the door, and means whereby the tension of said spring may be readily adjusted.

\Vith. the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional View through a. latch keeper constructed in accordance with the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 5 designates a fragment of a door and 6 the door post. Upon one side of the door, a suitable latch is mounted, and in the illustrated type of latch, the same includes a roller 7 mounted in the end of a suitable case 8 which is fixed upon the door.

A casing or housing 9 is securely fastened upon the door post or jamb G and projects outwardly therefrom as shown. A bell crank lever lO'is fulcrumed within this casing upon a vertical pin 11 which is fixed at its ends in the opposed walls of the casing. One end of this bell crank lever is provided with spaced arms 12 between which a roller 13 is mounted upon the pin 14 connecting said arms. The wall of the casing 9 which is opposed to the (1001-, is n'ovided with an opening 15 through which the roller 13 nornially projects. lhe other arm of the bell crank lever extends transversely of the housing 5} .and. at its end. is formed with an angularextension 1t; projecting longitudinally toward the inner end of the housing. This extension of the arm is provided with an elongated opening 17. A screw 18 is rotatablv mounted at its opposite ends in the opposed walls of the'casing 9 and extends through the slot 17 in the end of the bell crank lever. A nut 19 is threaded upon one end of this screw, and the opposite end of the screw, exteriorly of the casing, is provided with a suitable head 20 to which a screw driver may be applied and the screw readilv turned. A coil spring '21 is arranged upon the screw 18 and has one of its ends fixed to the nut 19, the other end of said spring being connected to the angular extension 10 of the bell crank lever.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction and manner of operw tion of the device will be readily understood. 1V hen the door is swung from its open to its closed position, the latch. roller 7 will on gage the projecting keeper roller 13 and force said roller into the housing or casing 9, thereby rocking the bell crank lever and moving the angiilar end 16 thereof on the screw. 18. Thus, the coil spring 21 will be (.OHIPLQSSOd. As soon as the latch roller 7 moves inwardly beyond the roller 13, the spring 21 expands and acts to return the keeper roller 13 to its normal position and in engagement with the outer side of the latch roller 7. Thus, the door is securely held. in its closed position against any casual outward swinging movement. The tension of the spring 21 may be readily regulated so as to vary the pressure of the keeper roller 13 upon the latch roller 7 by simply turning the screw 18 and thereby causing the nut 19 to move longitudinally and compress the coil spring 21. In this manner, it will be seen that I have produced a very simple and effective latch keeper which is not liable to get out of order and may be manufactured at comparatively small cost.

The device is applicable to various structures having swinging doors and it is apparent that the size of the keeper roller and Ill the proportions of the several concomitant parts may be varied, as circumstances may require. The device is also susceptible of considerable modification in the form, proportion and arrangement of the several elements and I, therefore, reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the sprit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is a 1. In a latch keeper, a housing, a lever fulcrumed in said housing, a roller mounted in one end of said lever, said housing having an opening in one wall thereof, a spring bearingagainst the other end of the lever and normally holding the rolleryiehliugly in a projected position through said opening, and means for regulating the tension of said spring.

2. A latch keeper including a housing, a

hell crank lever fulcrumed in said housing, a. roller mounted in one arm of said lever, said housing having an opening in one wall, a coil spring arranged within the housing and bearing upon the terminal of the other arm of the lever-to normally hold the roller in a projected position through said opening for engagement by a latch element, and means for regulating the tension of said spring.

:3. A latch keeper including a housing, a bell crank lever fulerumed within said housing, a roller mounted in one arm of said lever, said housing having an opening in one wall, the other arm of said lever being formed with an angular terminal extension FERDINAND ZIGANEK.

\Vitnesses SIDNEY S. Conn, FRANK A. llIARTIN. 

